Prediction of response to adjuvant chemotherapy in premenopausal lymph node positive breast cancer patients with morphometry, DNA flow cytometry and HER-2/neu oncoprotein expression. Preliminary results

Pathol Res Pract. 1992 Apr;188(3):344-9. doi: 10.1016/S0344-0338(11)81215-X.

Abstract

The value of morphometry, DNA flow cytometry and HER-2/neu oncoprotein expression for prediction of response to adjuvant chemotherapy in premenopausal lymph node positive breast cancer patients was evaluated in a group of CMF treated patients and controls with long-term follow-up. In the treated group, the Morphometric Prognostic Index (cutpoint 1.1) was the best prognosticator (p less than 0.0001, MC = 16.9), followed by the Mitotic Activity Index, the volume percentage epithelium and the number of positive nodes. For the controls, only the % HER-2/neu oncoprotein expression revealed significant differences (p less than 0.0001, MC = 16.3). When directly comparing treated patients and controls stratified for a certain parameter, no significant differences were obtained, although a trend towards improved survival in the treated group was present for some of the subgroups for several parameters. These preliminary results indicate that morphometric features and quantitative HER-2/neu oncoprotein expression may be important factors for identifying cases that will or will not respond to adjuvant chemotherapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
  • DNA, Neoplasm / analysis*
  • Female
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Lymphatic Metastasis
  • Menstruation / physiology
  • Middle Aged
  • Oncogene Proteins, Viral / analysis*
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Receptor, ErbB-2
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Staining and Labeling

Substances

  • DNA, Neoplasm
  • Oncogene Proteins, Viral
  • Receptor, ErbB-2